Duquesne Earns First A-10 Victory, 54-50 Over St. Bonaventure

The Duquesne Men’s Basketball Team won its first Atlantic 10 contest, besting St. Bonaventure, 54-50, Tuesday night at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Duquesne (10-8/1-5 A-10) was led by Jimmy Clark III’s nine points. Tre Williams grabbed eight rebounds as nine of 10 Dukes to see the floor grabbed at least one board.

Dae Dae Grant missed his third consecutive contest with a concussion.

St. Bonaventure (11-7/2-4 A-10) saw Charles Pride achieve a game-high 14 points, while teammate Assa Essamvous added 12 points

It was a very defensively-minded first half as Duquesne set a Keith Dambrot era recorded by conceding 15 points in the opening period.

Duquesne used all 10 of its players within the game’s first eight minutes.

After Chad Venning scored on St. Bonaventure’s first possession, it was tough going for the Bonnies as it was held scoreless for 8:41. While the Dukes offense also experienced some challenges placing the ball in the basket, its defense forced nine first-half turnovers.

While St. Bonaventure had a double-digit post advantage, the Dukes overcame that with a nine more bench points than their opponent.

Duquesne assisted on five of its six made baskets, connecting four times from three-point range. The Bonnies were 0-for-7 on its three-point shots.

When the first 20 minutes were settled, it was Duquesne on top 22-15.

The second half saw more offensive movement, but St. Bonaventure picked up some fouls, placing the Dukes in the bonus just past the midway portion of the half.

As he did in the first half, Jake DiMichele made some gritty plays getting to the free throw line, getting some rebounds and pushing play.

What was a double-digit advantage down the stretch for Duquesne turned into a 14-1 Bonnies run, cutting the lead to three points.

The Dukes missed a corner three-point shot, meaning the Bonnies had a chance to tie the contest, but instead bobbled the ball leading to a steal.

St. Bonaventure would not get closer as the Dukes did enough to secure victory.

Duquesne continues its three-game homestand with a Saturday afternoon tilt against Fordham, a contest which airs at 12:30 p.m. on USA Network.